Terra Nova Ladies Poker Night
by NurseKelly
Summary: The ladies of Terra Nova gather for a monthly Poker Night and things get interesting... Missing scene from RoryFaller's Seeing the Light


**Terra Nova ****Ladies Poker Night**

A/N: Thanks to Rory Faller for her help and for letting me take Abby, Will and Kathy out to play for a spell.

Disclaimer: Terra Nova does not belong to me, although I really, really, really wish it did!

The Terra Nova Ladies Poker Night was a monthly event, spearheaded by one Lieutenant Alicia Washington. By day, Nathaniel Taylor's second-in-command was as by the book as they come. But underneath her tough as nails exterior beat the heart of a gambler. Only a select few were aware that Wash actually put herself through college hustling pool and cleaning up at the underground poker games around the campus. She had been banned from the tables of some of the biggest casinos in the country by her sophomore year.

However, money was of little importance in Terra Nova and Alicia had long ago replaced the adrenaline rush she once got from the pool tables and poker games with everyday life at Terra Nova. Besides, gambling was illegal in Terra Nova and it wasn't worth incurring the wrath of Taylor.

The women never missed a Poker Night and for that, Alicia was grateful. Nurses Patty Ogawa and Kathy Hansen were old friends. Kathy had once worked as a bartender and her special concoction—The Hansen—was a Poker Night staple, as were Patty's marinated Ziff fish kabobs and sweet treats. Fellow soldier Corporal Laura Reilly was another regular, but on poker night they could just be Laura and Alicia. Recently Dr. Elisabeth Shannon had joined them and she was good company.

Tonight, Kathy was bringing her friend Abigail Porter. The young woman had been through a terrible ordeal recently and was slowly beginning to come out of her shell. The dislocated shoulder she sustained in the rover accident was healed and she was well enough to participate in the self-defense class Alicia offered. She wished that Abigail had participated in her earlier class, as well as the OTG training, but that couldn't be helped now. Somehow, Abigail had managed to survive in the jungle, escaping from the Sixers and multiple predatory dinosaurs. Alicia's wanted to use the self-defense class to boost Abigail's fragile self-esteem and help her process the trauma. The young woman was exhausted from the physical exertion, but she was elated by her progress today.

Abigail didn't know how to play poker, so she set up shop at Kathy's elbow as the other women gathered around the table at 1900 hours that evening. The fold-out table top used on these special nights was already in place, the green felt in stark contrast with the grey walls of Alicia's military housing unit. The rails were padded and soft to the touch, covered in the hide of an unfortunate **Malcolmus Pterosauri.** The table top was a gift from the Commander who was a fair poker player himself and enjoyed Poker Nights at Alicia's for the command team.

**1945 hours**

"That's too rich for my blood. I'm out," Patty said, as she threw down her cards. She was followed by Alicia, Laura and Lis, who all folded, following the third time Kathy upped the ante.

"Come to momma!" Kathy crowed as she showed her cards, a royal flush. She raked the brightly colored chips toward her already mountainous pile. Bragging rights were at stake here, not cash, and Kathy had plenty to brag about tonight. "You must be my good luck charm, Abby" Kathy said to the young woman seated on her right. "I'm so glad you came tonight," Kathy added, as she gave her shy friend a warm hug.

Abby sipped her tea as she watched in silent awe of the easy banter among the women. _So this is what it's like to have friends_, she thought.

**2030 hours**

"Sure you don't want to play, Abby?" Alicia asked as she dealt the next hand. She really liked the younger woman and hoped she didn't get frustrated with Will Carter, one of her oldest and dearest friends. Alicia had never seen Will this smitten, but it suited him. Abby and Will were good for each other.

"N-No, that's OK, I'll just watch," Abby managed to get out. Abby was in awe of the confident Lieutenant Alicia Washington.

"I TOLD you ladies, she's MY good luck charm! She isn't going anywhere!" Kathy interjected. Kathy knew how shy Abby was. Abby was like the little sister Kathy never had, and she would protect her no matter what.

"OK, OK, I get it!" Alicia said. She could sense the protectiveness from Kathy, and she knew better than to mess with Kathy when she was in mama bear mode.

**2115**

"So, what's the deal with you and Carter, Abby?" Laura asked, as Alicia began dealing the next hand. The cards slid easily over the Teflon-coated fabric of the poker table. The surface of the table was as smooth as the Hansens that evening.

Abby just about choked. _What IS the deal with Will_, she wondered? The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass him in front of Alicia and Laura, two fellow soldiers. "He's great with the kids and he's been a huge help since the accident."

The other women snickered. "I bet he has," said Laura. The Hansens had loosened the soldier up a bit and her innately sarcastic side was definitely on display this evening. However, she was young and idolized Will Carter, a man she considered a mentor and a good friend. Part of Laura wanted to make sure that Abigail Porter was in fact good enough for Will. However, Abby already had Laura's gratitude for braving a pack of nykoraptors to retrieve the body of her best friend, Sergeant Olivia Fernandes from the jungle. Laura hoped Abby measured up.

Abby blushed as red as the one stack of poker chips neatly stacked in front of Kathy. The nurse knew her friend was uncomfortable, but she was just going to have to deal with it. Kathy turned to Abby and, with a sinister smile, quipped, "Yeah, Abby, how is Mr. Wonderful these days?"

Kathy wasn't going to give her an easy way out of this, so Abby knew she had to say something. "He really is amazing," Abby said earnestly. "I don't know what we would do without his help," she added.

"Let's start this hand off with 10," Alicia said, as she monitored this conversation between Abby and Laura. The players each tossed in a chip.

"So he's just there out of the goodness of his heart?" Laura questioned. Will Carter had well earned reputation as a ladies' man and he was definitely _not_ known for doing things out of the goodness of his heart. Laura sensed that the school teacher was in way over her head with this one.

"He's a good person and he's my friend," Abby stammered.

A blind man could see that Will Carter had a thing for the petite teacher. "So he's just your friend," Laura said, looking intently at Abby. _Was this woman for real?_

"Well, we're sort of seeing each other," Abby added, softly. She still couldn't believe that Will wanted to court her, but she had promised him she wouldn't say anything to his men. _They would never believe that he was seriously interested in someone like me, anyway_, she thought.

Laura wasn't completely satisfied. "_You're_ seeing _Master Sergeant Will Carter_? No offense, Abby, but he doesn't really seem like your type," she said as she pinned Abby with a steely gaze. "He's just a soldier, a working class stiff."

Abby was shocked. All of this time, she had been expecting people to question why _Will_ was seeing _her_, not the other way around. "Not _my _type? Will's perfect! He's smart and funny and kind. You've seen him with the kids and he's so patient with me lately." Abby was starting to get pissed. _Will is exceptional,_ she thought. _Who the hell is this girl to question why I would be attracted to him?_ "And what do you mean 'just a soldier,' Laura? You know how brave Will is! He's…he's incredible. I still can't figure out why he's spending his time with me."

Laura couldn't play the bad guy anymore. She smiled and inelegantly slugged Abby in her good arm. "Good—and don't you every forget it, or I'll kick your ass."

"Well, halle-freaking-lujah!" Kathy exclaimed. "It's about damn time," she added. As Kathy pulled her friend in for a massive hug, she couldn't resist stating the obvious attribute of Will Carter that Abby left out. "And you forgot to mention that your man is one fine piece of man candy—those muscles and that butt. He's not too hard on the eyes, that's for sure!" Everyone laughed as Abby went a spectacular shade of crimson. There were more hugs as everyone added their congratulations and Abby was once again at a loss for words.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are we gonna play some poker here, or what?" Alicia interjected as she expertly shuffled the cards. Alicia's skill as a dealer could have gotten her a job at any casinos in 2149. She had complete command of the table and, sensing Abby's discomfort and knew that it was time to end this particular conversation.

The women began to discard their unwanted cards and, once again Abby was able to return to the background to observe the game.

**2149**

"This round's gonna cost you twenty to start," Alicia started.

At this point, Abby had abandoned her position next to Kathy and was now dozing on the leather sectional sofa, upholstered with the hide of an unfortunate Spinosaurus. Abby still tired easily and was grateful that couch was so comfortable.

Patty Ogawa, who had remained silent up until this point, was in card shark mode and now she went in for the kill. "I'll see your twenty and raise you twenty more," the nurse said. Her face was unreadable as she entered in to a staring contest with Alicia.

"Well, I'm out," said Lis, as she threw down her cards and rose from her chair. The last few days had kicked her butt and she needed to unwind. Kathy Hansen really knew how to mix a cocktail; this was the 4rd round for most of the table and Lis was starting to get giddy. She was soon joined by Kathy and Laura, who folded their cards as well and joined Lis at the makeshift bar for another round.

The betting rose steadily until the pot was obscenely large. The night was almost over and things always ended this way. "Alright Ogawa, whadda ya got?" Alicia said. She was holding two pair and felt very confident.

Patty smiled and proudly displayed her cards. "Read 'em and weep, Wash. Full house!" she cackled, as she displayed three Queens and two fours.

**2215 hours**

The game was effectively over at that point, as the Hansens has dulled the women's senses and rendered serious poker playing all but impossible. The majority of the brightly colored chips were piled in front of Patty Ogawa, who was the big winner. She had effectively turned the tables on Kathy midway through the night, who had a good run of bad luck. Kathy wasn't as competitive as the rest of the women and was having such a good time tonight that she didn't care. The women gathered around the table to share gossip and bond.

Laura shared that she was now dating Corporal Steven Monroe, who ran the mess hall. Monroe was coming off a bad breakup with a scientist and he was moving cautiously with this relationship, much to Laura's consternation. "Once we get started, that man is one hell of a kisser, but that's as far as I've gotten," she said, the _frustration_ evident in her voice. Laura believed that Steven was The One, and secretly hoped that he would ask to court her. "At the rate we're going, I have no idea what is in his head," as she sipped her drink. "He doesn't even seem interested in sex!"

Abby, who woke up when Laura started talking about her relationship, became _very_ interested in the conversation. However, she decided to remain where she was and listen closely. _So Laura gets frustrated and doesn't know what her boyfriend is thinking either, _Abby thought.

Patty was engaged to a botanist named Jonah Audubon. "It was exhilarating in the beginning—we couldn't get enough of each other," Patty shared. "As we got more serious, it became less about the physical aspect and more about really getting to know each other. But I hear you, Laura. Sometimes I miss the passion from the beginning, the way he would just grab me and kiss me senseless. If he isn't 'doing it' for you now, it's not going to get any better."

_Oh, Will __**more**__ than does it for me_, Abby thought. She was reminded once again how much she missed the early days of their relationship and the spontaneous, carefree kisses of those days.

Kathy smiled, wistfully. She was single at the moment and none too happy about it. "Great sex ain't all it's cracked up to be, ladies," she said. Kathy was the wild woman of the group, her conquests and escapades were the stuff of legend.

Lis gasped, Alicia's jaw dropped and Patty actually choked on her pie. Abby was even shocked, but she managed to stifle her reaction. Kathy's statement was akin to Nathaniel Taylor stating that he was really a woman trapped in a man's body and ordering his staff to call him Natalie.

Kathy huffed, greatly annoyed. "What? I want something more now. I may never get it, but I want more than just really amazing, incredibly hot sex." No one was more surprised by this than Kathy. However, the more time she spend with Abby, Will and the kids, the more she realized that something was missing from her life. Not the kids part—she was pretty sure that her umbilical cord was a crazy straw and she had no desire to populate Terra Nova with the special brand of crazy that came from the Hansen bloodline. _I want someone to look at me the way Will looks at Abby_, she mused.

Alicia snorted derisively. "That's because you're had more _really amazing, incredibly hot sex_ than everyone in the room put together, Hansen," she snarked. Alicia was also single and she was OK with it…most days. She was married to the job and there wasn't much time left in her life for anything else.

The Hansens had seriously loosened up the ladies, especially Lis. _Was Doctor Shannon drunk?_, Abby thought. "You know, Jim was the one who taught me how to play poker," she said with deathly seriousness. "Mmm…that was fun," she giggled. "We loved to end the night with _strip_ poker. It brought us so much _closer_." Everyone laughed, but Abby wasn't quite sure what they were laughing at.

"My husband is ridiculously hot, isn't he?" Lis said, as she hunkered down over the counter with her chin in her hands. She resembled a smitten school girl, rather than one of the best trauma surgeons of 2149. "He's even sexier now than on the day we met."

Lis continued, as the girls listened intently. It had not gone unnoticed by the women of Terra Nova that Jim Shannon was in fact a very attractive man, although he was completely devoted to his wife and family. Lis was just getting warmed up, as she went on about her husband's exceptionally _muscular_ lips and the things he did with them to drive her wild.

Her tone changed suddenly. "We never get to have sex anymore," Lis whined. The cramped quarters were a frequent complaint in Terra Nova. "It's like planning a military operation! Alicia, maybe you can help me?" Lis giggled.

Alicia tried very hard to keep a straight face. Lis was incredibly modest and _very_ proper, so seeing her giggling like a teenager over her hot husband was highly amusing. _Good thing her "ridiculously hot husband" was coming to pick her up_, Alicia thought. Then panic set in.: _How the hell am I gonna look him in the eye tomorrow?_

"Before the kids, we did it all the time and he has tremendous _stamina_," she said, in a conspiratorial tone. "He's quite virile," Lis added hungrily, obviously remembering a steamy encounter with her husband.

"With three kids in the house, it must be hard to satisfy your needs," Kathy observed. Abby was getting embarrassed, but she was hanging on every word at this point.

However, Lis was oblivious to their discomfort. She actually brightened, as if she was preparing to give a crucial medical lecture to first year medical students. "Well dear, you just do what you have to do—you get creative and believe me, Jim has a marvelous imagination! I have an office, he has an office, there are tons of storage areas—it's not difficult to find a place. One time we did it in the armory and there was that time at the Outpost after the …" Lis started.

The soldiers and nurses all visibly blanched. Alicia coughed loudly and got up to put on a pot of _strong _coffee.

**2300 hours**

There was a knock at the door, which was the official signal that the night was over. Jim Shannon was at the door to collect the ladies. No one could look him in the eye as they piled in to the rover and the ride alternated between silence and hysterical giggles.

When they arrived at Abby's house, Will was at the door waiting for her. He ran out to the rover to open the door for her and gently guided her in to the house. Abby looked happy and said that she had a good time. He definitely thought the evening with the girls had been a good thing.

Before they opened the door, Abby turned to Will and said "Will, Lis said that she and Jim play poker too. They started when they were dating." Will didn't really care about what Shannon and his wife did when _they_ were dating, because he was too nervous about _his_ date with Abby the next day. He smiled distractedly at the beautiful woman before him. _God, I love her and I hope I don't screw up tomorrow_, he prayed.

Abby pressed on. "Lis said it brought them closer, isn't that nice?" she said. Abby very much cared what the Shannons did on their dates. She envied the married couple and their happiness. _I wonder if Will and I could ever be like that someday_, she pondered.

Tentatively, Abby broached her idea as they entered the house. "Will, I don't know what you have planned for our date tomorrow, but maybe we can play some poker and I can show you what I learned?"

"Sure honey, we can do whatever you want tomorrow." Will still couldn't believe that she had not only agreed to let him court her, but she was going to go OTG with him tomorrow. He had a cup hot tea waiting for Abby and was sipping some iced tea himself. "Do you remember what kind of poker you played tonight? Was it draw, stud, or hold 'em?"

Abby was very proud of herself. "No, I want to play the kind of poker Lis said that she plays with Jim. Kathy said that you would definitely know how and that you could teach me. It's called strip poker. Can we play that tomorrow?"

With that, Will choked and literally sprayed his drink all over the wall. He coughed and sputtered for a good, long while. Abby pounded on his muscular back and rubbed it in a circular motion once his coughing slowed. When he was finally able to speak, he wouldn't look her in the eye and said "Sweetheart, I don't think we're ready for that yet."

_Wait until I get my hands on Hansen_, he thought. Under normal circumstances, Will was a very good poker player. However, he had a sneaking suspicion that Abby would win every hand if they ever did play strip poker, although he would certainly give it his best shot. _I can't think straight around her and she can read me like a book,_ he thought. _I'm doomed._ He had a vision of her claiming her "winnings" and thought that losing to Abby might not be an entirely bad thing. He had to maneuver himself behind the island for a moment until he calmed down. _Tonight is gonna be a long, hard night with that image in my head_, he thought.

Meanwhile, Abby realized at that point that strip poker might not be a traditional form of poker and that Kathy got one over on her. _Even so, I'd really like to play it with Will someday_, she thought. Abby smiled seductively at Will, who was now positioned behind the island with a strange look on his face. She picked up her tea and said, "I'll see you in the bed, Sergeant Carter.

"It's always the quiet ones," he muttered.


End file.
